


Sir Barnes and the lost Princess

by Briz



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-21 23:14:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13154046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Briz/pseuds/Briz
Summary: That wasn't what Sir Barnes expected, at all





	Sir Barnes and the lost Princess

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Tahlruil](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tahlruil/gifts).



> 2017 WinterIron Holiday Exchange. 
> 
> This was not beta-ed, any and all mistakes are mine (my beta is enjoying the holidays and didn't reply to me on time to post this. I'll update the story as soon as they do).
> 
> It's both a pressure and an honour to post for an author I admire so much, I hope it pleases the giftee!

_Once upon a time, in a land far far away, lived a king, and his beautiful queen. The king was a man of great intelligence and wit, who ruled with the surety and pride that only the great Kings possessed, for he had led his kingdom to become the greatest of all history._

 T _he queen, however, was as compassionate and loving as she was beautiful, and no wealth in the world could make up for her greatest wish: many years had she longed for a child, and finally her wish was granted. A daughter was born in the last days of spring, with eyes brown like honey, skin golden like the sun, and hair black as ebony._

  _The princess possessed a legendary beauty and a compassionate heart like her mother, but her intelligence could rival even her father’s. She was the pride of the Kingdom, and the King considered her his greatest creation._

  _But the years of peace and happiness were not to last. One winter, when the princess was 17 years old, a tragic accident took the lives of the King and the Queen, leaving the princess alone._

  _And without her parents’ protection, the princess’ beauty proved to be a curse as much as a gift: A great Drake, upon seeing the princess’ beauty, wished to guard her away from the rest of the world. She was locked away in a tower, where the terrible fire-breathing beast stood guard so no one could enter._

_To recover the lost princess, it was offered half of the kingdom, as well as the princess’ hand in marriage, to whoever could save her._

_The first one to try was Sir Rogers, the Captain of the King’s army._

 

  _\----_

 

“Like uncle Steve!” the little boy exclaimed excitedly, sitting up on the bed.

Tony raised one eyebrow at the kid, putting the book he had been reading down (well, pretending to read - he didn’t like to lie to his son, but he also couldn’t stand reading The Little fucking Mermaid every damn night anymore, and Edwin couldn’t read the book’s title yet. Give the tired parent a break).

 “That’s right, like uncle Steve” Tony agreed, trying to get him to lie back down and picking the book up again to resume ‘reading’.  “Sir Rogers does indeed have a lot in common with him”

 

_\----_

 

_Sir Rogers was a brave and honorable man, and the people of the Kingdom didn’t doubt for a second that he’d be able to bring the princess back._

_However, Sir Rogers was also a patronizing little shit, and that doomed him to failure. He came back after only a few days, admitting defeat with an exasperated sigh and a deep frown. He was damn lucky he didn’t get scorched by the Dragon’s fire._

  _His shield, however, shone more than before, and many whispered that it had been enchanted by the princess._

  _The second to try was Sir Banner. He wasn’t a knight, but had been close to the princess before her abduction._

  _For weeks he did not return, and after months of waiting, he was considered lost as well. Many mourned, but they all knew that was a possibility when they sent a scholar in a rescue mission._

  _After him, few wished to try: Sir Barton, an archer, who came back running away like a bat from hell, doused on a white substance from the dragon’s attack. But he had enchanted new arrows given by the princess, and claimed it was worth it._

  _The great Lady Romanoff was rumored to have made it as far as defeating the dragon, but she, too, was swayed by enchanted artifacts, and the princess remained lost._

  _A prince from a far away land also tried, but he, too, came back not with the princess, but, surprisingly, with Sir Banner, who was no longer a simple scholar, but a fierce warrior - the strongest and bigger that ever was._

  _One after-_

 

_\----_

 

“Dad, wait please” Edwin interrupted once again, politely raising his hand to ask for a turn to speak like he was in class. “How did Sir Banner become so strong?”

“There was an accident during his journey” Tony explained patiently, clearing his throat. “It was totally his fault by the way, for refusing to use his armor. Want me to continue?”

Edwin nodded.

 

_\-----_

 

_One after one, many brave knights attempted to free the princess from the dreadful prison, but none prevailed, until there was only one left: The great Sir Barne, the greatest knight to have ever existed. His bravery was on pair with Sir Rogers, his skill with weapons rivaled that of Sir Barton and Lady Romanoff. He was charismatic like the Asgardian prince, and almost as smart as Sir Banner._

  _He didn’t believe he was all that, of course, that’s why such a brave man wasn’t the first one to try to save the princess. Sir Barnes was really upset because he had failed to protect the late King and Queen, even if it wasn’t really his fault._

  _However, Sir Barnes kept on hearing the rumours of knights returning from their quests with enchanted artifacts given by the lost princess. And Sir Barnes could use a new arm, for the one he had was as old as it was awesome._

  _Sir Barnes chanced the perilous journey through blistering cold and scorching desert, traveling for many days and nights, risking life and remaining limbs to reach the Dragon's keep, for he was the bravest and strongest there was in all land._

  _He alone climbed the highest mountain to reach the drake’s desolation, only to find… nothing._

 

_\----_

 

“Nothing?” The look of utter disappointment at that turn of events in the face of the 3-years-old boy was both comical and adorable.

“Nothing” Tony confirmed, solemn. “But what is the first rule of all superheroes?”

“Don’t do anything uncle Steve says!” The child replied instantly.

Well. Pretty close.

 

_\----_

 

_Sir Barnes found nothing, but he knew better than to trust his eyes. First rule of being a knight: never trust an empty villain’s lair to actually be empty._

_And Sir Barnes was right, for he felt an ominous presence in the place preventing him from moving forward, before a deep voice talked to him._

_“You are not authorized to access this area”._

_Sir Barnes looked around him, and saw nothing but darkness. He brandished his sword, swinging against the looming presence. His sword cut the air, but didn’t find its target._

_“Who are you? Show yourself, Dragon!’_

_“I am Jarvis, the keeper of the princess. State your business here, Knight. Are you here to take the princess?” The voice assumed a threatening tone at the question, but Sir barnes was a brave man and didn’t back down._

_“I am here to fix my arm” Sir Barnes replied. “Allow me safe passage and we won’t have to fight”._

_There was silence for a moment, but slowly the darkness began to fade to reveal the most amazing place Sir Barnes had ever been in: he was in a room filled with iron armors, like a blacksmith’s workshop. Blue lights floated in the air, forming shapes and figures that moved with the flick of the wrist of the man on the center of it all._

_The man was more handsome than anything else in the room. His rugged good looks captivated Sir Barnes on the spot. It was love at first sight._

 

_\----_

 

“What about the princess?!” Once again, Edwin sat up in his excitement.

“Sir Barnes wasn’t trying to rescue the princess, remember? He just wanted to get his arm fixed” Tony tried to make him lie down again. “And anyway, the man was a better choice for Sir Barnes than any princess”.

“But what happened to the princess then?” The kid insisted, snuggling under the covers once again.

“We’ll get there” Tony promised, returning to the book.

 

\----

 

_The man was the most beautiful person Sir Barnes had ever seen. He had eyes brown like honey, skin golden like the sun, and hair black as ebony. And was absolutely not pleased to see Sir Barnes._

_“How the hell did you get past my dragon?” The man asked suspiciously, and with a flick of his wrist, the blue lights disappeared._

_“I asked” Sir Barnes replied, for lack of a better explanation. “The dragon is yours?”_

 

 _“You_ asked _? Really?” The man asked, but the last part didn’t seem to be directed at Sir Barnes at all, but at the air. “Yes, the dragon is mine, it’s a guard dragon. Maybe a dog would have been more effective” the m_


End file.
